also Metallica is a band that gets lumped in but doesn't belong. And although I'm not a big fan a group like Def Lepard gets grouped in as well and really isn't.
Hair Metal is the reason I went the new Wave direction in the 80's while still loving the 60's-70's classic hard rock that I'd always loved. I really had to search for harder type bands in the 80's that I thought were decent.